New I-43 project to begin Monday

Just as the three-year widening of I-43 in Ozaukee County is nearing an end, another freeway project that will affect summer traffic just north of the current construction zone is slated to begin on Monday, June 10.

Gov. Tony Evers announced last week that he has approved the resurfacing of a roughly one-mile stretch of I-43 from Highway 60 north to Highway 32 in the Town of Grafton.

The $4.42 million project is slated to be completed in fall.

Although both north and southbound traffic will be maintained during peak traffic times, there will be single-lane and shoulder closures during the first phase of the project, which runs from next week into July, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

During the second phase, which runs from July into fall, there will be full freeway closures overnight, single lane closures during the day and shoulder closures.

The project also includes the installation of cable guards and grading in the median, box culvert repairs and the repaving of the Highway 32 (Highway V) Park and Ride Lot, which will be closed for about a week in October.

Construction and congestion is nothing new to Ozaukee County freeway drivers who since the summer of 2021 have had to navigate the widening of I-43 from four to six lanes over a 14-mile stretch from Highway 60 in Grafton south to Silver Spring Drive in Milwaukee County.

The project includes the reconstruction of five interchanges, including at County Line Road, Mequon Road and Pioneer Road, as well as the construction of the new interchange at Highland Road in Mequon.

The north half of the project is slated to be finished this year, while the southern portion is expected to be finished next year.

Although motorists have bemoaned traffic delays caused by the work, commuters who travel that stretch of I-43 frequently say they are happy the rumble strip of a freeway is being replaced.

“The road is horrible,” Port Washington resident Gary Knaub said when the project began. “I don’t like construction, but you have to do it. The slow lane is so bumpy, you find people just hanging in the fast lane, which slows everyone down.”